geoffrey modest medical blogs

A recent study found profound benefits of virtual yoga for patients with chronic low back pain (see low back pain virtual yoga helps JAMA2024  in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42339)   Details : -- 140 adult participants aged 18-64 were selected in this single-blind, 24-week, randomized clinical trail, from 2022-2023 -- all patients had a mean low back pain (LBP) pain intensity score of al least 4 on an 11-point numerical rating score (0-10, the higher the worse pain) as well as daily back pain that interfered with activity for at least half of the days     -- intervention group ("yoga now group"): twelve weekly consecutive 60-minute hatha yoga group classes     -- control group ("yoga later group"): people interested in the study, were offered the virtual intervention after the study was over, and were on a wait-list -- mean age 48, 81% female, 82% white/12% Black, 6% Hispanic, high school 5%/some college 21%/college 46%/gradua...

  A recent study found that low-risk people with negative colonoscopy screening may well be able to wait more than 10 years before a repeat colonoscopy, and those at higher risk perhaps should be rescreened sooner than 10 years (see colon ca screening inc colo interval if low risk JAMAOnc2024  in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.5227)   Details : -- 3 prospective US population–based cohorts from the Nurses’ Health Study (121,000 registered female nurses aged 30-55), Nurses’ Health Study II (116,429 registered female nurses aged 25-42), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (51,529 male health professionals aged 40-75) were followed up from 1988 and 1991 to 2020     -- participants were mailed a biennial questionnaire that inquired about detailed medical and lifestyle information, including history of endoscopic examinations and diagnosis of CRC (colorectal cancer) and polyps         -- participants were asked biennially whe...

  A recent study found that vitamin K2 decreased nocturnal leg cramps in older patients (see   nocturnal cramps vit K2 helps JAMAintmed2024  in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.5726)   Details: --199 community-dwelling individuals 65 years and older participated in this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial conducted in China between September 2022 and December 2023     -- all had 2 or more documented episodes of nocturnal leg cramps (NLCs) during 2 weeks of screening -- 103 participants were randomly assigned to 180 μg vitamin K2 (menaquinone 7) capsules or a similar-looking placebo every day for 8 weeks, 96 patients were randomized to placebo -- 108 (54%) were female, mean age 72 years -- hypertension 68%, diabetes 51%, serum creatinine 0.89 mg/dL -- baseline weekly frequency of cramps was 2.60 in the vitamin K2 group and 2.71 in the placebo group -- patients with other relevant conditions (r...